The properties of mineral acids are such that these acids can cause serious and painful burns to exposed skin or eyes. Moreover, spills of concentrated mineral acids evolve irritating and harmful fumes which can also lead to deleterious results. Spilled concentrated mineral acids should therefore not be allowed to contaminate the air and water. Generally, reaction of the concentrated mineral acids with water and/or most neutralizing substances involves the evolution of much heat and is therefore avoided.
Therefore, there is a need for a composition of matter for controlling and cleaning up spilled acids including mineral acids at a relatively safe rate and at a cost that is not prohibitively expensive.
Recently there was developed a spill control composition for control and clean up of acid spills. Such a composition was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,821 issued Nov. 30, 1976 to J. W. Seidenberger and assigned to J. T. Baker Chemical Company. While such a composition has found wide acceptance and utility in a wide array of circumstances under which spills of acids occur, there are certain circumstances and conditions where the use of such a spill control composition is not desirable or can lead to the development of unacceptable conditions. One such condition where the previously disclosed spill control composition would not generally be employed would be in the electronics manufacturing industry, especially where semiconductors or semiconductor materials are being manufactured. The presence of certain metals or metal ion contaminants change the semiconducting properties of semiconductors. For example, sodium or potassium ion contaminants that contact the germanium or silicone surfaces of semiconductor materials work into the lattice structure of the material and control of the conductivity of the material is lost and can even destroy the semiconducting abilities. Additionally, in clean rooms the presence of metal or metal ion contaminants is generally to be avoided.
Thus there is clearly a need for a composition of matter for controlling and cleaning up spilled acids in such environments as the electronics manufacturing industry and in clean rooms. Moreover, such a spill control composition should produce the desired control and cleanup at a relatively safe rate and at a cost that is not prohibitively expensive.